How do I choose a power washing company, and what should I ask before I hire one?

What should I ask a power washing company before I hire one?

The useful questions to ask a power washing company are the ones whose answers describe what will happen to your house. A bid that names a method for each surface, a pressure for the siding, a dwell time for the cleaning solution and a price for each line tells you how the work will go before anyone unrolls a hose. A bid with one total and the words "power washing" leaves those decisions for the day of the job.

Homeowners in Macomb and Oakland County can put the questions below to any bidder. Each section gives a reference point, so the answer a bidder gives can be checked against it.

Which cleaning method will you use on my siding, roof and driveway?

The cleaning method is the first question to ask because siding, roofs and concrete need different treatment. Vinyl siding and asphalt shingle roofs are soft washed: low pressure, under 500 PSI, with a cleaning solution that kills algae, mildew and lichen. Flat concrete such as a driveway, walkway or patio is cleaned with a surface cleaner, a round tool with spinning jets under a shroud that spreads higher pressure evenly across the slab.

A clear answer about cleaning method names a surface and a tool in the same sentence. "Soft wash on the siding and roof, surface cleaner on the driveway" tells you the bidder has sorted your house into materials. If a bid lists one method for every surface, ask how the pressure and the nozzle change between the driveway and the siding, and listen for a specific setting. The reasoning behind each method is laid out in our soft washing vs. power washing guide.

What pressure will touch my vinyl siding?

Pressure on vinyl siding matters because of how the panels are hung. Each course of vinyl overlaps the one below it, with the seam facing down so rain runs off. A high-pressure stream aimed up from the ground travels into those seams and pushes water behind the panels, where it sits against the sheathing and can feed mold you will not see from the yard.

A soft wash keeps water out of the overlapping seams in vinyl siding by letting the cleaning solution do the cleaning and rinsing at low pressure. When you ask a bidder what pressure goes on your siding, a number under 500 PSI, or the words "soft wash with a low-pressure rinse," tells you the panels will be rinsed rather than blasted. Our soft washing page explains the process step by step.

How long does the cleaning solution sit before you rinse?

Dwell time is the number of minutes a soft wash solution stays on the wall before the rinse, and it decides whether algae is killed or only wetted. The green film on the north side of a house in Macomb and Oakland County is a living growth anchored in the texture of the siding. The solution needs time on the surface to break that growth down. Sprayed and rinsed at once, the wall looks brighter for a short while and the growth left in the texture grows back.

A bidder who gives dwell time in minutes, and says the time changes with temperature and with how heavy the growth is, has thought about your walls. Dwell time also affects how long the result lasts. Soft-washed siding holds two to three years on shaded walls and longer on walls in full sun.

How will you protect my plants, windows and outdoor outlets?

Landscaping protection is a process question, and a good answer comes as a sequence of steps. The standard sequence is to soak beds and shrubs with plain water before any solution goes on, keep them wet while the walls are treated, and rinse them again at the end. Wet foliage dilutes any solution that drifts onto it.

Windows, outdoor outlets, light fixtures and dryer vents need a plan of their own. Ask whether windows should be closed, whether outlets and fixtures will be covered, and whether screens and sills get rinsed when the walls are done. A bidder who answers with steps in order is describing a routine used on every house.

What should a written power washing quote include?

A written power washing quote should list each surface as its own line, with a method and a price on each. Siding, roof, gutters, driveway and deck are separate jobs with separate tools. A line-item quote lets you see what is included, drop a line you do not need, and compare two bids surface by surface.

Macomb Power Washing Solutions sends a written line-item quote within 24 hours and charges zero travel fees across the 87 communities it serves in Macomb, Oakland and St. Clair counties, Grosse Pointe and Harper Woods. When you compare bids, ask each company whether a trip, fuel or setup charge sits outside the quoted number, so the totals you set side by side cover the same work.

How do published starting prices help me judge a power washing bid?

Published starting prices give you a floor to measure any bid against. A starting price covers a smaller, standard version of the job, so a large two-story house with heavy growth or tight side yards will price above it. The table below lists our starting prices with the method used on each surface and how long the result holds.

A bid far above a starting price for a small ranch, or far below it for a large colonial, deserves a follow-up question about what the number includes. Ask which surfaces, which method and what dwell time the price covers. Differences between two bids for the same house often trace back to one of those three answers.

How do Michigan conditions change what a bid should mention?

Michigan weather shapes where growth and staining show up on a house, and a bidder who walks the property should be able to point to it. North walls and walls under tree canopy stay damp longer and grow green algae first. Homes near Lake St. Clair and the inland lakes of Oakland County sit in more humid air, which keeps shaded siding wet through the morning. Lower siding and driveways along busy roads pick up a gray-black traffic film from exhaust, tire and brake particles, plus white road salt residue over the winter.

Freeze-thaw cycles are the Michigan condition to ask about on concrete. Water that soaks into unsealed concrete freezes and expands through the winter, which is why a penetrating sealer is reapplied every three to five years after cleaning. A driveway bid that offers sealing as its own line, with its own price, is describing the care that surface needs after the wash.

What checklist should I use to compare power washing companies?

The checklist below works on any bid for a house in Macomb or Oakland County, and each item has an answer you can verify.

• Method per surface: soft wash on siding and roofs, surface cleaner on flat concrete.
• Pressure on siding: under 500 PSI, or a soft wash with a low-pressure rinse.
• Dwell time: a number of minutes that changes with temperature and growth.
• Plant and fixture protection: pre-wet, cover, treat, rinse, in that order.
• Written line-item quote: each surface priced on its own line.
• Travel or trip fees: listed in the quote, or confirmed as zero.
• Insurance: a certificate showing general liability and workers' compensation, sent by the company's insurance agent. Our guide to what insurance a power washing company should have shows how to check one. We carry $2M general liability plus workers' compensation.
• How long results last: two to three years on shaded siding, three to five years for a roof treatment.
• Walkthrough: a look at the finished work with the technician before the job is closed.

To put these questions to us, call Macomb Power Washing Solutions at (586) 284-3810, Monday through Saturday from 8am to 10pm, or start a quote from our house washing page. The written line-item quote arrives within 24 hours, so you can set it next to any other bid and compare the two surface by surface.